Pas is not profiteering from party’s fundraising dinner

KUALA LUMPUR – February 23, 2017: Pas has assured that all proceeds from its upcoming fundraising dinner will be go directly into the party’s coffer.

According to a spokesperson from the dinner’s registration committee, Mohd Zamani Ismail, a large portion of the proceeds will be used for Pas’ campaigns in the upcoming general election.

“The remaining funds will be saved for contingency purposes and it will be audited by the party’s treasury,” said Zamani who was responding to critics who accused the Islamist party of religious profiteering.

The fundraiser that is due next month was slammed by critics on Facebook mainly because of the price per seat offered in its three main packages, namely the: Gold (RM10,000), Silver (RM8,000) and Bronze (RM6,000) packages.

Zamani said those who purchased the dinner’s gold package will sit at the same table with the upper echelons of Pas, including party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.

So far, he said, prominent political figures who had already purchased the gold package is former Selangor menteri besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, and Ikatan president Tan Sri Abdul Kadir Syeikh Fadir.

“Tan Sri Khalid told us that he was keen to listen to Ustaz Hadi’s speech regarding Pas’ outlook in the next general election,” Zamani said adding that Khalid bought the package earlier this month.

For those who cannot afford the three packages, fret not because, as Zamani pointed out, there are other affordable packages priced as low as RM150 per seat.

That being said, critics of the party argued that it was immoral and un-Islamic of Pas to charge its supporters who wanted to listen to Hadi’s speech.

“First these ulama bulldoze the entire forest in Kelantan and now they want party members to sponsor their little dinner…pathetic,” was the acrid response from Si Zuan.

“This is what happened when religion is used for commerce. Come everyone, let us sail with these Pas ulama and make profit out of Islam,” wrote Dani Albosssarcastically.

“This is so weird. I used to attend Hadi Awang’s speeches for free, the only time I needed to fork out my money was when I bought some baked nuts that were sold at the talks,” Azizi Agera wrote.

About the author

Zaidi Azmi

Despite becoming The MOLE's journalist in 2014, he still has a hard time traversing the city. If he is not lost, this northern kampung boy can be found struggling to make some sense out of the Malaysian political sphere.